Pipe wrench



Dec. 12, 1944. c. c. CLAYTON. 2,365,054

PIPE WRENCH Filed Aug. 19, 1945 INVENTOR CLIFFORD C.CLAY TON ATTORNEYS Patented Dec 12, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE, WRENCH Clifford 0. Clayton, Milwaukee, Wis. Application August 19, 1943, Serial No, 499,175

1 Claim.

i This invention appertains to wrenches and more particularly to wrenches for gripping cylindrical work, such as pipe.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a pipe wrench having an operating handle or lever and a G shaped head rockably mounted on the handle and including a pair of jaws of diiferent sizes disposed on opposite sides of the handle for cooperation therewith to grip pipe or pipe coupling of different diameters.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a pipe wrench including an operating handle or lever embodying a forwardly extending center nose or shank having oppositely curved jaw faces on its edges with a. substantially O shaped head rockably mounted intermediate its ends on the shank and having arcuate jaws of different sizes disposed on opposite sides of the shank for cooperation with jaw faces thereon at diff erent times.

A further important object of my invention is to provide means for selectively bringing either one of the jaws into operative position with its jaw face on the shank, said means including a spring for normally urging the selected jaw toward its jaw face and the work, whereby said jaw will properly clamp the work with the shank upon the manipulation of the handle or lever.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a pipe wrench which can be quickly and easily slipped on the work into operative clamping position without adjustment of the jaw.

A still further important object of my invention is to provide a pipe wrench of the above character which will be durable and eflicient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture .and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects-in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a top, plan view of my pipe wrench.

Figure 2 is a horizontal, sectional view through the forward end of the wrench taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows, the pivoted head being in position to receive pipe of a, certain diameter.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the head rocked to its other position for receiving pipe coupling.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal, sectional view through the forward end of the wrench taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse, sectional view through the forward end of the wrench taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows. a t

Figure 6 is a transverse, sectional view through the wrench taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter W generally indicates my pipe wrench and the same includes an elongated operating handle or lever ID. The opposite sides of the; handle or lever I 0, at its front end, is provided with grooves II in which are fitted forwardly extending plates 12. These plates define a. centrally disposed nose or shank and in effect form a continuation of the' provided with teeth to form jaw gripping faces l3 and I4.

Disposed between the plates l2, directly in front of the handle or lever In and directly in rear of the jaw faces l3 and I4 is a substantially C shaped jaw head [5. The head is rockably mounted between the plates on a pivot bolt l6 which extends through said plates. The plates themselves can be secured to the shank ID by similar bolts I! or any other means can be utilized, such as welding, for securing the plates in position.

The C shaped jaw head I5 is so formed as to provide arcuate jaws I 8 and I9 and these jaws curve forwardly of the outer end of the plates l2. The faces of the jaws I8 and it! are provided with teeth or serrations for gripping the cylindrical work. The jaw I9 is of a greater size than the jaw l8 and hence the jaw l8 in cooperation with the jaw face I3 is adapted to engage pipe of certain diameter, while the jaw IS in cooperation with the jaw face I4 is adapted to grip pipe of greater diameter. In practice, the jaw l8 and the jaw face l3 are for gripping pipe and the jaw l9 and the jaw face I4 are provided for gripping coupling to be used on such pipe.

I have provided means for bringing either the jaw I 8 or the jaw l9 into operative position for cooperation with their respective jaw faces and this means includes aleaf spring 20. The forward end of this leaf spring 20 is firmly anchored to a rock shaft 2| carried by the plates l2 and the rock shaft extends through one of said plates and has firmly secured thereto a manipulating crank lever 22. By swinging the crank lever from one side to the other the leaf spring 20 can be shifted for rocking the jaw head on its pivot bolt for bringing one jaw H3 or l9 toward its jaw face and for normally urging the selected jaw by the spring toward the work and its face. By referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 it can be seen that the central part of the jaw head I 5 forwardly of the pivot bolt I6 is provided with a notch 23 for receiving the spring.

Means is also provided for locking the crank lever 22 in its selected position and as shown, one plate l3 can be provided with a rib 24 having a pair of keeper notches 25 therein. The

crank lever is adapted to snap into either one of said notches and hence hold the crank lever and the spring in a preferred selected position.

In use of my wrench, say small pipe is to be gripped, then the crank 22 is shifted to the position shown in Figure 1 and the spring is at one side of the longitudinal axis of the wrench (see Figure 2). The tension of the spring 20 is now such as to normally urge the jaw I8 toward the jaw face [3 and the wrench is placed against the pipe so that the forward end of the jaw IB and the forward end of the shank or nose will engage the pipe. The wrench is now given a sharp forward thrust and the wrench will snap over the pipe and the pipe will now be in position to be gripped by the wrench. The handle or lever 10 is moved in a counter-clockwise direction (see Figure 2) and the greater the force on the handle the tighter the pipe will be gripped. After the pipe has been turned and it is desired to release the wrench from the work, it is merely necessary to swing the handle or lever in a clockwise direction and then pull the wrench. off of the work.

When the larger pipe or pipe coupling is to be gripped, the crank 22 is swung in a clockwise direction which will swing the spring 20 on the opposite side of the longitudinal axis of the wrench and this will move the larger jaw l9 toward the jaw face 14. The wrench can be placed on and off the work in the same manner as just described for smaller diameter of pipes.

Attention is called to the fact that the extreme forward end of the shank or the plates 12 are arc-uately curved, as at 26, so as to facilitate the guiding of the pipe into position between either one of the jaws and their jaw faces.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this in- -vention, but what I claim as new is:

A pipe wrench comprising an operating hand lever, a pair of forwardly extending plates carried by the opposite sides of the hand lever, said plates having its opposite edges provided with arcuate jaw faces, a C shaped head received between said plates, means rockably mounting the head intermediate its ends to said plates, said head including jaws of different sizes disposed on opposite sides of the jaw faces, a rock shaft carried by the extreme forward end of the plates, a leaf spring rigidly secured to the rock shaft, said head having a notch receiving the spring forwardly of the pivot point of said head, a crank for shifting the rock shaft and spring, and means holding the crank in a selected adjusted position against accidental movement, the forward end of said plates between said jaw faces being arcuately curved to guide work into the wrench between the jaws and jaw faces.

CLIFFORD C. CLAYTON. 

